West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-09-30

suggestive and instructive reading.
Mr.. Huntington testified that 1T
cost him 100000 to explain mat
tiers to Congressman" and q. 5. SEN
ator, and railroad President, Mr..
Leland Stanford of California, has
recently refused to answer questions
asked by the commission about the
expenditures Of railroad money to
control elections and to influence
politics. But the testimony most
useful to educate the people is the
expert evidence given last June by
G. M. Crawford, who was employed
by the Union Pacific railroad during
several sessions of the Nebraska
Legislature as lobbyist. lie dis
PEELED the prevailing notion that the
modern railroad lobbyist generally
effects or prevents legislation by
paying money for votes. This is an
incorrect conception of modern rail
road lobbying and such methods are
comparatively seldom practiced at
this day by men who thoroughly
understand their business. Mr..
Crawford tells us that the lob
byist is successful with Ubiquitous
legislation because the representa-
tives of the people are as class ut.
terly unfit for the duties OF their Of
flee. Speaking from wide obserya-
ton, he tells us, that most legisla-
tors are as a rule honest but intensely
! ignorant, and that the function OF a
wcll-informed lobbyist is TO lodge on
their vacant minds such specious
and plausible arguments as will in
duce them to vote as he asks. When
competent counsel is not employed
bv the other side, an adroit lawyer
easily misleads jury by present
ing only such facts as make in favor
of his client while he carefully dis
tracts attention from those other
facts which, if considered, would
bring verdict against him.
There are many potent influences
always at work "to keep trouble
some men" out of legislature; and
by troublesome men is meant those
persons who have paid attention to
public affairs and who have suffi-
cient knowledge to discuss questions
in such q manner as would educate
their fellows. Very few members
consider, much less read, on subjects
before them. They enter upon their
duties without the slightest concep-
ton of what ought to be done or
ought not to be done. A well mean
ing farmer going to the Legislature
for the first time, finds himself call
ed to vote on questions about which
he cannot talk intelligently, and as
he is incapable of making investiga-
ton for himself, he listens eagerly
to other members who appear to I'M
derstand the subject better than he
does, when in fact they merely echo
plausible platitudes furnished by
the lobby. The longer we'll mean
ing farmer serves, the greater his
stock OF useful information but if he
is both intelligent and faithful ''he
is marked man and care is taken
that another person is nominated in
his place" The object is to keep
competent men who have experience
ont of Legislatures. The member
who has enlightened conviction,
with some aptitude for investigat-
ing public questions, is the special
dread of the railroad lobbyist,-par
ticularly if he has had experience in
preceding Legislatures; and we are
told ''The lobbyist Fever gets in his
work for bad measure if there are
half a dozen such men present. "
Whereas, the most useful adjunct of
the lobbyist is "the large farmer"
who while paraded in newspapers as
the chosen representative of the ag-
ricultural interest, is in reality sim
ply the emissary for some scheme to
plumber the masses.
The capable lobbyist, Mr.. Craw-
ford says, always knows more about
the particular measure that he de-
sires to pass, or desires to defeat,
than any member of the body, and
so long as the corporations succeed
in excluding from the public service
the very few men who are really
equipped by investigation and ex-
perience for Legislative duty, it is an
easy matter for trained lobbyist
to have all the talk one way,-and